ALGIERS - The appeal trial of former Minister of Justice Tayeb Louh and the other defendants prosecuted for several charges, including breach of trust, influence peddling and obstructing the proper conduct of justice, opened, Wednesday, at the Court of Algiers.
The defendants in this case, including Tayeb Louh, the former Inspector General of the Ministry of Justice, Tayeb Belhachemi and Tarek-Noah Kouninef, were heard at the start of the trial.
The financial and economic penal pole of the tribunal of Sidi M’hamed (Algiers) condemned the former Minister of Justice Tayeb Louh to a 3-year prison term accompanied by a fine of 200,000 DA for several cahrges, including abuse of office and obstruction of the proper functioning of justice.
Tarek-Noah Kouninef prosecuted for abuse of office was sentenced to 4 years in prison with a fine of one million (01) dinars, while the former inspector general of the Ministry of Justice, Benhachem Tayeb was sentenced to two (02) years in prison with a fine of 200,000 DA.
The tribunal sentenced the three defendants to pay in solidum an amount of 100,000 DA to the Public Treasury, with confiscation of all their illegal income, subject to judicial seizure.
The Public Prosecutor at the Economic and Financial Penal Pole of the Tribunal of Sidi M’hamed (Algiers) requested on Monday, 10 years in prison against the former Minister of Justice, Tayeb Louh, prosecuted, in this case , for several charges, including abuse of office, influence peddling and obstruction of the proper functioning of justice.
The Prosecutor also requested 8 years in prison against the former inspector general of the Ministry of Justice, Tayeb Benhachem, prosecuted on the same charges.
Also, 10 years in prison with a fine of one million dinars were required against the businessman, Tarek-Noa Kouninef prosecuted for abuse of office, with confiscation of all property, funds and accounts seized on the instruction of the investigating judge.
In his pleadings, the prosecutor indicated that the facts of this case date back to 2014 when the Kouninef company had imported over-invoiced cement to benefit from customs advantages, as evidenced by “the instructions given by the defendants Louh and Benhachem “.
This trial, which continues with the pleas of the defense collective, began with the hearing of the former Minister of Justice who rejected all the charges against him, claiming to have been attached, throughout his career, to the independence and integrity of judges”.
For his part, the former inspector general of the Ministry of Justice, rejected all the charges brought against him, claiming to have “implemented the instructions of the Minister of Justice”.
